Hospital Cleaning

The CSSA and BCC have put the topic of hospital hygiene high on the agenda once again by drawing attention to a new report on doctors.
This new paper suggests that some doctors still aren't following through with the most basic of good hygienic practices; handwashing.
Despite a huge push on the topic of hospital cleanliness in the wake of bugs like MRSA and pandemics like Swine Flu in the last few years, office cleaning's top authorities are still having to put pressure on those in the medical profession to start taking the matter more seriously.
Hospitals now put the onus on patients expecting surgery with special shower gels and nasal sprays designed to kill bugs before they enter hospitals, but those preventative measures could be for naught if doctors themselves could be carrying pathogens.
Solutions within the cleaning industry designed to make handwashing much easier are plentiful - with antibacterial soaps and touchless taps making wash-stations not only more hygienic, but also practically effortless.
Hospitals could take note from many of our contract cleaning customers; we have many busy London offices and larger companies who take hygiene into their own hands figuratively and literally by commissioning posters or asking staff to get creative with signs to display in the office washrooms to raise awareness.
With that in mind, here's hoping both NHS and private hospitals make a push to once again raise the hygienic standards set for that staff, knowing that there's so many peoples health at stake.

Cleaning is essential for maintaining hygiene and health. We clean our offices and homes to remove dust and germs, and it also makes us feel good, no one likes to stay in a dirty, untidy mess. Different cleaning processes and endless varieties of cleaning products are available for office or home use.
It has been proven for some time that some commercial cleaning products can pose threat to your health. According to scientists and physicians, strong chemical compounds used in cleaning products can cause different dermatological and respiratory problems for people and that’s why people are opting for green cleaning.
Indeed, green cleaning is the ideal form of cleaning which does not involve the use of any chemical based cleaning products and thus has no side affects that could harm the health of people or the environment. As the name suggests, green cleaning is a natural formula for keeping your surroundings clean and fresh. Unlike factory-made, cleaning solutions and detergents, green cleaning is totally free from all kinds of toxic chemicals.
More and more places like hospitals and nursing homes are implementing green cleaning as the safest cleaning process. The USA and European countries are using green cleaning in commercial areas like offices, markets and shopping centres that witness the presence of large numbers of people with different health conditions on a daily basis. It is also extremely beneficial to cleaning staff who work with cleaning agents on a daily basis.
Another major reason why people have largely accepted green cleaning is the availability and cheap cost of the items; lemon juice, vinegar, baking soda and washing soda are the most effective green cleaning product and are purchased at a much cheaper costs compared to toxic chemical-based solutions and detergents. You can apply these natural ingredients for cleaning anything in the office, home and leisure industry, without any kind of threat to your health minimise the risk of damage to your belongings.

Superbug killing products company Germ Warfare has moved to the Isle of Man recently after being offered extensive grants.
Germ founder Paul Ward, who impressed James Caan on Dragon’s Den so much that he offered to invest, will see up to 40% of his capital investment, property and marketing expenses paid for this year.
He said: "The Isle of Man (government) are also fantastic. It's 100% the grants from them to help us set up. Research and development and marketing; everything a small business would need they have offered to us."
Germ Warfare is setting up its sales operations on the island and plans to relocate its new product development and its manufacturing.
Germ has developed a range of cleaning products that kill harmful bacteria including c.difficile spore, MRSA, swine flu at hand temperature and without the use of chemicals that can cause irritation to the skin.
Launched in January 2008 the company sold £500,000 worth of cleaning agents into doctor surgeries, large employers like Royal Bank of Scotland, and online shoppers.
This is a positive direction for the killing of superbugs and what we think is a worthy investment for the Isle of Man.
For more information on Total Clean's contract cleaning services please visit the website.

The cleaning industry is one of the few areas bucking the recession with around 45,000 jobs available at any one time.
In fact the number is more likely to be 60,000 when including part time domestic jobs.
Andrew Large of the Cleaning and Support Services Association explains: "The cleaning industry has an advantage when there's an economic downturn - after all - it is essential.”
No matter what happens you still need clean hospitals, schools and offices.”
He continues: "With the presence of swine flu too, the importance of hygiene is becoming more and more apparent.
The cleaning industry employs at least one million people, meaning the number of vacancies is naturally high as people come and go.”
Mr Large adds: "I know one man who started out as a carpet cleaner in his teens and now has a £50million business. If you're prepared to work hard there are plenty of opportunities."
It's also a good industry if you want a stable job or career.
But if you yourself are looking for a fantastic contract cleaning company then Total Clean offer bespoke cleaning services. For more information please visit our website.

According to research a new cleaning product could help cut rates of the MRSA superbug by a third.
A study found that levels of MRSA were reduced by a third when wards were treated with Byotrol rather than standard bleach.
The 11-month study at Manchester Royal Infirmary suggests the product could be a useful tool for the health service.
Byotrol was used on two general medical wards, while two others were treated with the NHS's normal cleaning bleach.
Dr Andrew Dodgson, the consultant microbiologist who led the study, said the results were "very impressive".
He added: "Cutting the levels of pathogens on the wards reduces the risk to patients of picking up an infection.”
The Manchester research follows earlier tests which found Byotrol cut levels of MRSA by half.
Total Clean offer bespoke contract cleaning including floor treatments and laundry services, for more on these and our other services please visit the website.

According to a new report from the British Medical Association, pressure to treat too many patients too quickly leaves little time for proper hospital cleaning.
The BMA also said hospitals should face sanctions if they fail to implement simple strategies like washing hands with soap and water or using alcohol rubs.
Dr Vivienne Nathanson said measures like deep cleaning and bare 'below the elbows' needed to be part of the long-term measures and regular, thorough cleaning of hospitals.
She said: 'Deep cleaning is a good thing provided you go in and do all the other organisational things and keep your cleaning at a high level.'
This includes proper cleaning of things like the buttons on machines and switches, she added: 'We are not dismissing deep clean but it does not work on its own.'
The report also said that the areas of a hospital that posed the greatest risk to patients were not always included in cleaning contracts.
For a bespoke cleaning contract that meets all your needs, contact Total Clean Services Ltd.

Taunton’s Musgrove Park Hospital cleaning team has won the chairman’s award for excellence.
A panel of judges praised the team for their commitment and positive attitude towards their cleaning duties, and for the significant difference they’ve made to Musgrove.
Cleaning co-ordinator at Musgrove, Ruth Stephens, said: ‘They’re very thorough, take real pride in their work and are always looking to help out. In the last year, we’ve spent over £1m on cleaning and now there are cleaners in the hospital 24 hours a day, seven days a week.’
Chairman Ros Wyke said: ‘Cleanliness is very important to us at Musgrove, and the cleaning teams have helped to reduce our infection rate and improve the hospital environment.’
She added: ‘MRSA is down by over 70% in the last two years - and the teams have played a big role in that.’
Total Clean provide fantastic office and contract cleaning services, for more information please click here.

An Eye Hospital in Moorfields has been told to improve the way they clean medical equipment.
A Healthcare Commission report into hygiene at the hospital found laser probes, (which are used to measure patients' eyes) were not being cleaned properly.
The watchdog has given the hospital six months to improve their standards.
The investigation stated: ‘In the accident and emergency department, we observed staff decontaminating laser probes.’
‘We found that there were no guidelines or protocols for the cleaning of this equipment; the medical staff could not remember having had training on the decontamination of this equipment.’
‘No record was kept of the date that the decontaminating solution for this equipment had been prepared and decontamination was taking place in a clinical rather than processing area.’
However, investigators found that the hospital, which has a worldwide name for pioneering eye treatments, was meeting all other guidelines put in place to stop the spread of superbugs.
Last year the Commission rated the trust as "excellent" for use of resources and "fair" for quality of services in its annual health check.
A spokeswoman for Moorfields Hospital said the breach found by inspectors was a minor one.
She explained: ‘Although this has no impact on patient care, we are now putting in place additional training and guidance for staff responsible for the local cleaning of clinical instruments to assure ourselves and the Healthcare Commission that we will fully comply with this requirement in future.’
For more information on Total Clean's contract cleaning services, please click here.

The Scottish Government is to distribute 250 steam cleaners at a cost of £400,000.
These will allow for specialist cleaning and when used with micro-fibre cloths are particularly effective against C.difficile.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: ‘Cleanliness is crucial in our hospitals and is a simple way to help combat infections like MRSA and C.diff.’
‘Steam cleaning is a particularly effective way of cleaning areas affected by C.diff and substantially increasing the number of steam cleaners available to the NHS will ensure they are available locally when needed.’
Across NHS Scotland there are currently 20 steam cleaners which have provided sufficient evidence of their effectiveness, which should encourage the government to invest in more.
Health Facilities in Scotland will purchase the steam cleaning packages on behalf of NHS Scotland.
Over three years the government is to invest £54 million in a range of initiatives designed to tackle hospital super-bugs.
Some of these initiatives include a national MRSA screening programme, 100% single room provision in all new hospitals as well as doctors being prudent in the prescribing of antibiotics.

Hospitals in Scotland lack clear signs advising patients and staff to clean their hands properly say health chiefs.
Both NHS Highland chairman Gary Coutts and nursing director Heidi May admitted that more could be done in the fight against hospital infections in the region. And they revealed plans to introduce recorded messages in wards, reminding people to wash their hands thoroughly.
Coutts raised concerns that signs advising patients and staff of the importance of washing their hands in the effort to crackdown on infections were unclear.
He said: ‘I was visiting patients quite recently, and I still think we have got some very poor signage. It gets lost in a multitude of other things that are on the wall.’
He was backed by Ms May, the board member in charge of infection control, who said she found “a lack of consistency” in signs in hospitals across the region.
She added: ‘One of the things that we are going to put in place are auditory systems that, when we walk into wards, will say: ‘you need to wash your hands’.’
Machines dispensing hand-washing gel have now been placed at ward entrances and posters outlining ‘six step’ hand washing techniques have been put up.